Whether training for a marathon, raising a family, cutting calories, driving or a multitude of other reasons, more Americans are cutting back or avoiding alcohol – creating demand for healthier alternatives beyond sparkling water or sugary sodas and juices.

Even as food and beverage brands are starting to look more closely at Gen Z shoppers to determine what they want and what makes them tick, many are still struggling to pinpoint how best to engage with millennials who Goldman Sachs has dubbed “the most attractive demographic in the history of America.”

Once the stuff of science fiction or far-flung futuristic dreams, the ability to eat juicy sausages, fish fillets or a sizzling steak without having to first slaughter an animal is rapidly becoming a reality as the cultured-meat and -seafood industries continue to leap forward exponentially in research, development and full-scale production.

Hemp and CBD continued to reign as one of the top food and beverage trends at Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore last week, just as they did at the event’s counterpart Expo West last March – but also just like at West they were far from the only noteworthy trend.

Ready or not, Gen Z, is upon us with the oldest members of this cohort about to turn 21 and move out on their own and the younger ones holding increasingly more sway over what ends up in their families’ grocery carts.

As consumers become more comfortable buying groceries online they are becoming less tolerant of imperfections in e-commerce platforms and of insufficient product information – effectively raising the bar for retailers and brands to offer a seamless ordering and delivery or pickup experience.

As the dog days of summer drag on, people nationwide are reaching for frozen desserts to help stay cool, but unlike in the past when the promise of providing a moment’s respite from the heat in the form of a sweet treat was enough to land a product in someone’s shopping cart, now consumers are looking for more.

To beat of the competition or determine whether a new product idea will succeed, food and beverage companies need to stay ahead of consumers quickly changing whims – a task that has never been easy, but which is becoming more difficult as shoppers take increasingly divergent paths to the plate.

The US Dietary Guidelines, which are updated every five years, were created more than 40 years ago as a way to help all Americans eat healthier based on current scientific data, but since its inception a large and vulnerable group has been left out – infants and toddlers under the age of 2 years.

Given that only 2% of food and beverage sales currently are generated online and that shipping perishable, fragile and heavy CPGs can take a substantial bite out of already tight margins, it may be tempting to skip ecommerce.